Gautam Roy Explained

Office:Member of Assam Legislative Assembly
Birth Date:1948 11, df=yes
1Blankname3:Chief Minister
1Namedata5:Hiteswar Saikia
1Blankname5:Chief Minister
Office5:Minister of the Government of Assam
1Blankname4:Chief Minister
1Namedata4:Tarun Gogoi
Office4:Public Health Engineering Minister
Term3:2001-2005
Term2:2015-2016
Otherparty:Indian National Congress (1985-2019)
Constituency:Katlicherra
Party:BJP (2019-present)
Parents:Santosh Kumar Roy (father)
Spouse:Mandira Roy
1Blankname2:Chief Minister
1Namedata2:Tarun Gogoi
Office2:Social Welfare Minister
Termend:2016
Termstart:1985
1Namedata3:Tarun Gogoi
Predecessor:Tajamul Ali Laksar
Successor:Suzam Uddin Laskar

Gautam Roy (born 14 November 1948)[1] is a politician of the Hailakandi District of Assam. He was six times MLA from Katlicherra constituency.[2] He was also minister in Hiteswar Saikia and the Tarun Gogoi led Congress ministry several times.[3] Gautam Roy was the vice president of BCCI[4] and also the president of Assam Cricket Association. Currently he is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.[5]

Early life and education

Roy was born on 14 November 1948. His father, the late Santosh Kumar Roy, was a member of Assam Legislative Assembly for Katlicherra from 1972 to 1978.

Roy is an arts graduate from S.S. college from the 1969 batch.

Political career

Indian National Congress

Roy is believed to have been introduced to politics by Santosh Mohan Dev.[6]

Roy was the Indian National Congress candidate for the Katlicherra constituency in 1985, the same constituency his father had represented previously. He got 40,940 votes, 59.3% of the total vote, defeating his nearest opponent by 15,982 votes.[7]

He was again the Indian National Congress candidate for Katlicherra in 1991. He was reelected, getting 41,297 votes which was 50.15% of the total vote. He defeated his nearest opponent by 8,515 votes. He was a minister in the Hiteswar Saikia cabinet.

He was reelected for Katlicherra in the 1996 Assam Legislative Assembly Election. He received 59,899 votes, 66.24% of the total vote and defeating his nearest opponent by 34,470 votes.

He was again reelected for Katlicherra in the 2001 Assam Legislative assembly election. He got 48,069 votes, 55.22% of the total vote. He defeated his nearest opponent by 34,691 votes. He became social welfare minister in the Tarun Gogoi cabinet,[8]

In the 2006 Assam Legislative Assembly election, he was reelected, getting 44,834 votes and defeating his nearest opponent by 12,275 votes.

He was reelected in the 2011 Assam Legislative Assembly election. He was inducted again into the Tarun Gogoi cabinet as public health engineering minister,[9] He was later made the social welfare minister again serving for about six months in 2015 and 2016.

In the 2016 Assam Legislative Assembly Election, he sought reelection. He received 35,592 votes, coming second to the current MLA for Katlicherra, Suzam Uddin Laskar.

In 2019, Roy was expelled from the Indian National Congress for alleged anti-party activities.[10]

Bharatiya Janata Party

On 11 August 2019, Roy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of the then finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.[11] He was the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Katigora constituency in the 2021 Assam Legislative Assembly Election. He received 76,329 votes, losing to the current Member of Assam Legislative Assembly for Katigora Khalil Uddin Mazumder.[12]

Personal life

Roy is married to Mandira Roy. His wife is a former member of Assam Legislative Assembly for Algapur, after winning a by-election in 2013.[13] Roy and his wife have two children, Rahul and Sutanuka.[14] His daughter Sutanuka is a former student of the London School of Economics. His son Rahul, like his wife, is a former member of Assam Legislative Assembly for Algapur serving from 2006 to 2011 on the Indian National Congress ticket. He was the candidate for the same constituency in 2011 and 2016 but lost both times. His son later registered as an independent[15] and it was alleged that he had joined BJP,[16] but it was later clarified he did not.[17] His son sought the Udharbond constituency as an independent in the 2021 Assam Legislative Assembly election but lost. His son Rahul is married to Daisy Roy, who was also an independent candidate in the 2021 Assam Legislative Assembly election for Algapur but also lost.

Other interests

Gautam Roy was the vice president of BCCI. He also served as the president of the Assam Cricket Association. As of 2022 he was the president of Hailakandi District Sports Association. He is also the president of Rabindra Mela Hailakandi.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shri Gautam Roy. 3 May 2021. assamassembly.gov.in.
  2. News: Agarwala . Tora . 31 March 2021 . Assam's Roy family: Congress veteran on BJP ticket, kin as Independents . The Indian Express .
  3. Web site: Assam elections: Barak valley's powerful Roy family jumps into poll fray. 3 May 2021. The New Indian Express.
  4. Web site: Manohar Quits BCCI, 'Eyes' ICC Chairman's Post. 4 February 2022.
  5. Web site: Assam: Ex-Congressman Gautam Roy Joins BJP Party - Inside NE. 11 August 2019. 3 May 2021. en-US.
  6. Web site: 31 March 2021 . Assam's Roy family: Congress veteran on BJP ticket, kin as Independents . 28 February 2022 . The Indian Express . en.
  7. Web site: Katlicherra Assembly Constituency Election Result - Legislative Assembly Constituency . 28 February 2022 . resultuniversity.com.
  8. Web site: Roy quizzed in Assam scam probe . 28 February 2022 . www.telegraphindia.com.
  9. Web site: Hailakandi bandh hits life - Times of India . 28 February 2022 . The Times of India.
  10. Web site: 16 June 2019 . Assam Gautam Roy, Ramen Bothakur Suspended from Congress - Inside NE . 28 February 2022 . en-US.
  11. Web site: Gautam Roy joins BJP in the presence of Himanta Biswa Sarma, Ranjit Dass . 28 February 2022 . Barak Bulletin . en-US.
  12. Web site: Katigora Assembly Constituency Election Result - Legislative Assembly Constituency . 28 February 2022 . resultuniversity.com.
  13. News: Press Trust of India . 3 March 2013 . Newly elected MLA takes oath . Business Standard India . 28 February 2022.
  14. Web site: July 14, 2012 . Kaushik . Deka . Meet the motor-mouth Congress minister Gautam Roy . 28 February 2022 . India Today . en.
  15. Web site: 24 March 2021 . Rahul Roy from Udharbond: Early Life, Controversy & Political Career. 28 February 2022 . www.sentinelassam.com . en.
  16. Web site: 21 February 2022 . Former Congress MLA from Algapur Rahul Roy joins BJP . 28 February 2022 . www.sentinelassam.com . en.
  17. Web site: 25 February 2022 . BJP denies former Congress MLA Rahul Roy's joining . 28 February 2022 . www.sentinelassam.com . en.